ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD

1866 saw the birth of a brand that equipped bicycles since the concept of cycling was first introduced. Throughout their history, Brooks England has been imitated by many, but the comfort and craftsmanship has never been matched.

To celebrate a century and a half of excellence, Brooks have invited Condor to create special limited edition bicycles, utilising the theme of copper.

Why copper?

Copper was the material chosen for the rivets of the first Brooks saddles. Advertising slogans proclaimed the B17 to be “a neat, light saddle, of best quality (may also be used for road racing)”.

Condor and the Dashing Bikes Project

Brooks saddles have equipped Condor bicycles ever since Monty Young first opened the doors to his small shop and workshop in 1948.

As racing cycling grew in popularity during post-war austerity, Monty Young would proudly offer his Brooks Special saddle, which he would beat, soften and reshape, ready for riders.

Today, many of Condor’s touring, audax and single speed bicycles are often finished with one of Brooks' saddles. Performance-focused framesets are perfectly aligned with the new Brooks Cambium range, based on the popular B15 and B17 saddle shapes, but made with lightweight vulcanised rubber.

"The idea behind the concept was to create an effect that would inspire people to question what they are looking at."

The Condor Dashing Bikes Special Edition

Condor selected the new aero-focused Leggero for their anniversary bicycle. Mixing hand-crafted carbon with an ultra-modern design has created a race bike that tips its head to the past, but looks towards the future in anticipation of another 150 years of Brooks England.

“I wanted to achieve something unusual. The idea behind the concept was to create an effect that would inspire people to question what they are looking at – is it actually copper or is it carbon?”, explained Condor’s designer, Ben Spurrier.

Outfitted with Brooks’ new carbon-railed Cambium C13 saddle, Campagnolo Record 11-speed groupset, and Brooks Cambium bar tape, the Leggero 150 is built using the finest materials to achieve the finest ride.

Liquid copper

“The paint was applied through several processes to give the appearance that the bike has been dipped in liquid copper, resulting in a marriage of traditional copper plating techniques alongside modern day cutting-edge technology. Leaving the rear portion of the frame as exposed carbon deliberately highlights the contrast between the host material and the metallic finish.”

A traditional Condor head badge in copper and an etched copper plate made by British silversmith, John Campbell, completes the bike.

The Leggero 150 will return to Brooks' home city of Birmingham to be displayed at the Cycle Show from 23–25 September before taking pride of place at Condor's Grays Inn Road store for the autumn.

Special edition Brooks saddles

To celebrate their 150th Anniversary, Brooks England are releasing a series of their most iconic saddles resplendent in an all copper frame, hand hammered copper rivets, and presented in special edition packaging.

The B15 Swallow is a faithful reproduction of a saddle specifically conceived with the sporting cyclist in mind, the result being a timeless design widely regarded as the precursor of all modern racing saddles. This saddle was originally patented as long ago as 1937.

The innovative Cambium from Brooks

Featuring a vulcanised natural rubber and organic cotton top. These saddles are perfect for use in performance riding and touring, providing comfort, durability and flexible performance. The Cambium C17 is based on the ever popular, B17 Brooks saddle and ideal for day to day riding, the C17 is also available with a cut out and for female cyclists. Placing comfort at the fore, the C15 is a saddle designed for long journeys. The newly launch C13, which features on our Leggero 150, is the narrowest of the Cambium saddle engineered for racing it weighs 150g less than the C15 model.